Season 1 Episodes Discussion

[joanne3482]

A new comedy with Lake Bell and Dax Shepard.  They leave NYC for a farm in Nebraska after his great aunt passes and leaves him the farm.  The picture they have is not quite what they drive up to.  It has Ed Bagley Jr as an unexpected roommate and Lennon Parham from Playing House and David Koechner (Todd Packer from The Office) as a couple who live nearby and want to buy the farm from them. 

I really liked it which means it will likely be cancelled. 

[luna1122]

I like the actors involved but the commercials looked so lame that I was just sure it would be a bomb..but I liked it too. The premise is still kinda stupid--that these two would just ditch everything to become farmers, with the property sight unseen--but lots of good show premises don't really bear examination---and the talent involved rises the show above the level I'd been afraid of. We laughed a lot.

[Carmel Cub]

So no Arnold the pig yet?

[RedheadZombie]

The show doesn't seem ready to garner a lot of comments here in the obscure land of "other sitcoms".  

[eel21788]

47 minutes ago, Carmel Cub said:

So no Arnold the pig yet?

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Lifesabeach]

A comment after just one episode so I could end up eating this one,  but “less of the mom on the phone”.

[biakbiak]

I wasn’t blown away but will give it a few episodes if only for the possibility of a Pam Grier/Ed Begley Jr romance.

[Giuseppe]

I had no intention of watching this, but I left the station on after Blackish and it ended up being way funnier than I expected. I lost it when Lake Bell thought she was being attacked by the cow.

Some parts didn't work, but it made me laugh repeatedly, so I will stick around for a bit.

[AnnaRose]

I expected to like this, but I really didn't.   I kind of hated it, to tell you the truth.  And I generally like Dax and Lake.

Ed Begley Jr.'s character didn't work for me at all.  (I normally like him, too.  In fact, he was in the only Modern Family episode I halfway liked this season before I bailed.)

I also hated the way the show portrayed the rural Midwesterners -  I found it insulting and tone deaf.   Then again the NYC folks were idiots, or in the case of the mom, obnoxious... so they didn't fare all that well either.

It could have been my mood, but I don't think it was, since I loved (and laughed a lot at) American Housewife and The Kids Are Alright.  I will probably give it one more episode just to make sure it's not for me... but I am not optimistic.

[Ms Lark]

Making book on which goes first, "Abby's" or "Bless this Mess." I don't think either are long for this world.

Must admit, the cow-phobia scenes were amusing. I'm not crazy about the lineup of stereotypes.

[CatsAndMoreCats]

Can't stand Lark (or is it Lake? can never remember and do not care) Bell's character.  Self-absorbed, ridiculous.  I like Dax Shepard.  But not on this show.  I have no use for the Susie Essman character.  And high fives to all the folks here who inquired about the whereabouts of Arnold the pig.

Whatever is on opposite this show, is what I'll be watching.

[LBS]

I'm going to give another episode or two to see if gets better.  Pilots can be awful (i.e. Parks and Recs) but I have feeling this is going in to the Splitting Up Together of a good premise with no traction.

[SnarkySheep]

I too am a city girl, but I would hardly start screaming and freaking out if I found myself in the company of a placid cow...

Also, did anyone for a single second think the two would be on the roof and NOT get stuck up there?? That's such lazy writing.

There's a fine line between funny and stupid, and this show just crossed it a few too many times IMO.

[msrachelj]

On 4/17/2019 at 2:29 PM, Carmel Cub said:

So no Arnold the pig yet?

really. the jokes and situations were really dated. starting from falling thru the floor into the basement and having then having the ceiling fall on them. not funny anymore. and this could must be superheroes to withstand that , hanging onto the roof in a big storm etc. stupid. anyone in their right mind would leave that money pit pronto. it's not like the wife can't support them. i know country living. it sucks. 

[iMonrey]

I thought the pilot was kind of clunky but there were two scenes I liked - the one with Lake Bell confronting the cow while her mother is yelling over the phone telling her she wants to speak to the cow and she tries to hand the phone to the cow asking "my mom wants to talk to you." The other was in the barn where she was trying to give Ed Begley Jr. advice and he was pretending he was asking for a friend but the charade quickly fell apart.

I really want a Dax Shepard/Lake Bell sitcom to succeed so I'll keep my fingers crossed it gets stronger, but usually when a sitcom premiers in April it means the network shelved it because it didn't have much confidence in it.

[Melina22]

I really, really like this show. In fact, they had me as soon as the chicken sat on top of the screaming goat. I laughed many times. And I'm a fan of chickens in general. Live ones, I mean. 

Lots of great actors here but I especially like Lake Bell. She's funny and natural and never grates or mugs. And apparently she's a good comedy writer as well, since she co-wrote the episode.  I like how Dax is an inexperienced farmer but not a complete moron. His plans make some sense to me (who can barely grow a houseplant). 

I'm in for this season at least. This show seems like it could go somewhere weird and interesting, and I think some of the characters could grow on me. 

[SassyCat]

If they don't get rid of the stupid mother talking on the phone parts, I'm gonna stop watching. Those parts are over the top annoying in not funny land. The rest is ok. The second episode was way better than the first episode (sans the phone mother).

[luna1122]

I find this show really charming, and I like Lake Bell here far more than I have before. Love Dax. It's completely unrealistic and wrong that they'll eventually probably really succeed with their half assed plans, but I'm rooting for them.

Agree that they just need to ditch the mom, or tone her way down.

[Melina22]

13 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

Agree that they just need to ditch the mom, or tone her way down.

I actually find the mother funny, in the sense that she's so controlling and overbearing and a perfect explanation for why Lake was so happy to move far, far away. But it also explains an awful lot about Lake's personality. 

This setup reminds me a bit of Leslie Knope, a sweet person with a powerhouse mother she just couldn't ever quite please. 

[iMonrey]

For me, the mother and Rudy are the best parts of the show. I love Dax Shepard and I love Lake Bell but neither character is particularly funny, nor is the writing except for the mother and Rudy.

Ratings haven't been devastating but neither are they promising. Anyone remember Zach Braff's short-lived sitcom "Alex Inc.?" Yeah, it debuted this time last year and look where that went. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

My favorite part was when she found out the lawyer was gay and was babbling on and on about how she "gets it" because she's from New York (kinda shitty she just assumes the small town folk discriminate). She finally tells him "I won't treat you differently" and he dryly says "Starting when?"

[biakbiak]

I wonder if the writers would be shocked to know that people have potlucks in NYC and know what they are also it’s bad form to expect someone to bring something if you give them no notice. A good potluck host would also know who is bringing what and suggest a category of food or beverage to bring.

[Melina22]

I totally agree. Potlucks are not just a country thing. But it still made me chuckle when Lake wanted to bring fancy water to a potluck. It somehow reminded me of visiting my most "citified" daughter and trying to make a breakfast out of lemon water, coffee and some kind of algae mixture. I ended up going out for eggs and bacon. 😁

[Lovecat]

It occurred to me while I was watching E2 that LAKE Bell's character's name is RIO (Spanish for RIVER).  For some reason I found that kind of hilarious.

[luna1122]

Yeah, city folks know what potlucks are (tho I don't make stuff to take, I buy it, I hate cooking. I also hate potlucks, actually). And country folks know what biscotti are. There are silly premises here, and stereotypes. And yet, the charm of the cast and the occasional cleverness is balancing that out, for me.

Doesn't Rio have any girlfriends back home she can talk to, instead of just her mom?

[iMonrey]

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My favorite part was when she found out the lawyer was gay

Yeah, another show Tim Bagley can add to his resume, along with the other 5,000 shows he's been on. Boy this actor really makes the rounds!

[Melina22]

Another cute episode tonight. I'm starting to like several of the cast. I'd like a chance to get to know the chickens better though, especially Priyanka and Courtney. 😁

[iMonrey]

I'm starting to think Elizabeth Meriwether just isn't a very good writer, and that The New Girl succeeded largely due to its actors improvising the best parts. The writing for this show is just so pedestrian and generic, it's like every middling network sticom pablum I've ever seen. I want to like it so much and want Dax Shepard to have a hit show but this isn't it. So disappointing.

[Guest]

On 4/24/2019 at 8:40 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

My favorite part was when she found out the lawyer was gay and was babbling on and on about how she "gets it" because she's from New York (kinda shitty she just assumes the small town folk discriminate). She finally tells him "I won't treat you differently" and he dryly says "Starting when?"

I hated that part.  Like she was so obviously "Yay! I didn't know they had gay people here! I love gay people!"  I know that was the point, but it was not a good moment for her at all.

[SassyCat]

Was laughing tonight watching this. Best episode of the 3 so far, (in my opinion). Especially the end when Dax daddy, was saving the chickens. I agree with iMonrey about the writing and predictable turn to the story, but I did laugh and enjoyed the episode.

[iMonrey]

The best moment was really Dax modeling the short-shorts at the end, and that's largely a physical comedy thing that can be credited to Dax rather than the writing. Dammit, I like the actors so much, it just needs to be funnier. 

[iMonrey]

Well this one was a mild improvement over the previous three. I do get a kick out of the Bowmans, especially Jacob. Trying to pretend he killed the chickens rather than let Mike see his father crying in the security footage was funny because he was so bad at lying. And Beau just breaking down at the end was good too. Apparently Beau and Jacob have to act tough for Kay. 

I also think Ed Begley Jr. as Rudy is the best part of the show. "Your code name is Potato 3." "What happened to Potato 2?" "You don't want to know." It's all in the delivery. And I like Susie Essman as Rio's mother. "Your cousin got rabies and her brain is mush, although she still likes animals which is nice." 

I think the key to improving this show might be beefing up the supporting cast because Mike and Rio are pretty much playing straight men to a lot of absurd characters. That worked OK back on Newhart so it's a workable formula but they need to up the ante.

[Melina22]

I continue to enjoy the show, and laugh out loud a few times each episode. Sure, it's silly but I like it. 

[ShelleySue]

I can't believe so much hatred.  I can't remember the last time my husband, my three kids (in their 20's) and I all enjoyed the same show.

I don't mind the mother phone calls at all.  Maybe that's because I had a Jewish mother just like that.

The show reminds me of Harts of the West with Beau Bridges.  Does anyone else remember that series?

[Aryanna]

I like parts of the show but I'm just not sure it works for me. My biggest problem is Lake Bell. I can't put my finger on it but something about her just really bugs me. I'm not saying everyone on TV has to be beautiful but neither of the leads is very attractive.

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, Aryanna said:

I'm not saying everyone on TV has to be beautiful but neither of the leads is very attractive 

Speaking for myself, although they're not movie-star gorgeous, I find them both charismatic.

Actually, I think they're regular-life good looking, as opposed to TV/movie good looking. I often think that the best looking people I know in my regular life, would probably be put in "homely' or" "nerd" roles in TV and movies. Their bar is set so darn high. 

[msrachelj]

2 hours ago, Aryanna said:

I like parts of the show but I'm just not sure it works for me. My biggest problem is Lake Bell. I can't put my finger on it but something about her just really bugs me. I'm not saying everyone on TV has to be beautiful but neither of the leads is very attractive.

I find it refreshing. It's about time we saw actors who are not so perfect looking.I wish more shows would do this. 

[Beezella]

I'm trying to figure out in what universe Lake Bell is unattractive. Dax is kind of character-actor cute.

For me the heart of this show is Constance. When she reacted to unexpectedly seeing the picture of her deceased husband, I teared up, and I'm on some eye drops that dry up your tears.

[lucindabelle]

Watched two episodes on demand. Commercials are annoying so probably won’t watch more.

i get that they’re supposed to be young and newlyweds but to ditch everything in NY and move not just to the country but to be farmers without apparently having even taken out a book on farming?

to go be farmers when she can’t drive and he can’t hammer a nail? I mean, move to The suburbs  first... (you can own a chicken in many NJ towns)

i dont know what rural Nebraska is like but this town felt pretty artificial, way too contained as they always are on tv. In real life even in the country not all the teachers live in the same town and so on. They have internet and cable tv in the country too.

and yeah, pot luck is hardly some NY thing.

its a classic fish out of water relying on kind ridiculous tropes.

Edited May 19, 2019 by lucindabelle

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm trying to figure out in what universe Lake Bell is unattractive. Dax is kind of character-actor cute.

The leads don't have to be matinee idols for the show to be funny. Look at Roseanne, or Newhart. I just think the writing needs to be stronger. The ingredients are all there - premise, actors, supporting characters, but it needs to be funnier.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Lake Bell discusses The Secret Life of Pets 2:

[stacyasp]

Pam Grier is HORRIBLE on this show!

[biakbiak]

41 minutes ago, stacyasp said:

Pam Grier is HORRIBLE on this show!

Pam and Ed are the only things I like about the show!

[Melina22]

I wasn't crazy about this episode, but I absolutely loved watching Dax give Priyanka a bath. 😁😁

[iMonrey]

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I don't like the casting for Rudy's ex wife.

That was Rita Moreno. I went back and forth trying to figure out if it was her until the closing credits confirmed it. And I don't think she was Rudy's ex-wife, I think it was just an ex-girlfriend, unless I missed something.

[OtterMommy]

Now that we have a full forum, I have created a Spoiler and Speculation thread.  Any discussion about upcoming seasons should go there.  I've moved a few posts regarding renewal to that thread.  You may continue to discuss Season 1 in this thread.

When the new season begins, I will post episode threads for discussion.

[SassyCat]

They've been playing reruns of the first season here and I just saw the last episode of the first season again and I've got to say Lake Bell was hysterically funny in the opening scene with her acting and talking about her chicken feeding "regime". That really cracked me up. Dax is very funny playing his parts too. I'm all in for the second season! Just for the facial expressions alone! So funny!